Safety match-box holder.



W. B. PANKRATZ.

SAFETY MATCH BOX HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I0, 1916.

1,226,539. Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

UNITED @TATES PATENT @FIWWW WILLIAM B. PANKRATZ, OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY MATCH-BOX HOLDER.

Application filed May 10, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. PANKRATZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Match-Box Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for holding receptacles and particularly to devices primarily intended for holding boxes of matches.

The general object of this invention is the provision of a very simple device which is adapted to hold a box of matches 011 a shelf and lock the box thereto permitting the box to be opened and the matches removed whenever desired but with no danger of upsetting the box and spilling the matches.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a bracket or shelf provided with my match box lock;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the construction shown in Fig. 1, with the match box in place thereon; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a base in the form of a shelf supported by a bracket 11 of any suitable construction, but shown as made of sheet metal and as having a brace 12. The bracket is intended to be supported against the wall by screws or in any other suitable manner.

The base 10 is relatively thick and may be conveniently made about five and one-half inches long by three inches wide. Pivotally mounted upon the upper face of this base or shelf 10 is a locking bar 13 having the form of a strip of metal, through one end of which passes the pivot screw 14 which holds the strip engaged with the face of the base or shelf but permits the strip to be rotated. The pivotal end of the strip is disposed slightly inward of one end of the base or shelf and the other extremity of the strip extends beyond the base or shelf. Inward of this free extremity, the locking bar or strip 13 is formed with a lateral slot Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1317. Serial No. 96,673.

15 adapted to engage with a screw or other headed stud l6 projecting from the face of the shelf or base.

In the use of this invention, the ordinary match box which contains about five hundred matches is disposed upon the shelf with the locking bar 13 disposed between the sliding sleeve or cover of the box and the bottom of the box. Under these circumstances, the bar 13 will project beyond the adjacent end of the box and this bar is then looked beneath the headed stud 16, thus locking the box of matches firmly in place upon the shelf or base but permitting the box to be slipped from its cover or sleeve in the usual and ordinary manner, so that matches may be readily removed therefrom.

It is obvious that the box may be readily detached from its engagement with the locking bar or attached thereto whenever desired. The match box is held firmly in place upon the shelf and can be readily opened, and the locking device entirely eliminates any danger of upsetting the box, spilling the matches and other troubles incident to the box being simply set upon the shelf or base.

While I have described my device as particularly intended for the purpose of holding a box of matches, it is obvious that it may be used for other purposes of the same character.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

A holder for boxes comprising a base forming a shelf, a bracket supporting the base, a locking bar of thin metal pivotally mounted at one end upon said base for movement in a plane parallel to the face of the base and projecting slightly beyond the other end of the base, said locking bar inward of its free extremity being formed with a notch, and a headed stud projecting upward from the base and adapted to engage in said notch when the locking bar is in an operative position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. PANKRATZ.

Witnesses:

MARGARET LEYon, J'. CLYDE GiLFiLLAN.

Washington, D. G. 

